Helping 2013

Interviewee:  Salvador Gutierrez
Interviewer:  Diana Gutierrez

Q:  What ideas do you have for your senior project and why?

A:  I want to play soccer.  Why? because I love soccer.  I was playing since I was eight years young, and it runs in the family. 

Feedback:  I believe you have to fill out some paperwork by May this year if you want to do a sport.  You can check up on that with one of the senior teachers.

Q:  What do you plan to do to complete the 10 hours of service learning (working with an expert) which is due prior to senior year starting?  You also have to do 50 hours during the school year.

A:  Working with an expert.  I just don't know what expert yet.

Feedback:  I think you can do your service learning with a coach you've worked with before or find some connections.

Q:  What do you hope to see or expect to see when watching the class of 2012 present their two hour presentations?

A:  Effort.  Quality work.  Games and activities, where they interact with the audience.

Feedback:  Observe the room and when you watch the presentation start getting ideas of what you probably want to do for your senior project.  You may discover a new topic you'd want to work on.

Q:  What questions do you have about senior project?

A:  Do we have to take our experts to the presentation?  Do we have to have one expert or can we work with various people?  Does it have to be a professional soccer player?

Feedback:  No.  You don't have to take your expert (s) to the presentation.  You want to start thinking of possible experts to work with right now to be ready for the summer.  Start thinking of what exactly you will be doing for your service learning.  You don't have to work with a profession soccer player, I  believe.  Usually, people work with one expert (mainly one).  Think of other options, just in case this doesn't work out.

Independent Component 2

Here is my Independent Component 2 hours log (starts on Feb):

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AufLznWoxxvGdERXM0d5MXlQejdmdzl0VHhuOVBSMFE

Here are pictures of some notes and one of the magazines I took notes on for my Independent Component 2:

Literal:

a) I, Diana Gutierrez, affirm that I completed my Independent Component which represents 30 hours of work.

b)  I completed 30 hours of reading, from magazines Ms.  Underwood (teacher from Independent Component 1) let me borrow and from a book called Methods for Effective Teaching.  I took notes on every section that I read, anything that I found helpful to my senior project and/or EQ.

Interpretive:

It took an average amount of 40 minutes to an 1 hour of reading and taking notes for about two months.  It's about 30+ pages of notes/research all together.  It was very useful since it was a book made for future teachers to study off of and prepare them for their careers (I checked out this book at the Cal Poly Pomona library), and so, had a lot of information from lesson planning, to grouping strategies, and handling misbehavior.  The magazines had various information on current issues within education, such as poverty affecting the academic performances of numerous students, start at a young age too, and colorblindess (not accepting diversity within classrooms).  I read about many issues/facts that I hadn't read before in my previous research.

Applied:

It definitely helped explain in greater detail all of my answers, since it talked about all the teaching methods I have as my answers; I got this information from Methods for Effective Teaching.  I read about different examples on how teachers may apply certain teaching methods within the class, and examples I probably hadn't seen in my service learning or first independent component.  Both the book and magazines talked about struggling and at- risk students.  There was information on the reasons why they may be in that position, especially at such a young age, and why certain teaching methods prove to be more effective with at- risk students (which my EQ is about teaching methods that can help increae academic gain of at-risk students in first grade).  The book actually helped me get my third answer and deepened my understanding towards that method, which was Direct Instruction.

Answer #3

EQ: What is the best teaching method to increase the academic gain of at-risk students in first grade?

Ans 3: Total Physical Response is a strategy (teaching method) that best helps increase the acadmeic gain of at-risk students in first grade.

Evidence: 

• In my third interview Ms.  Underwood explained that she commonly uses TPR because it helps with student engagement and allows them to interact with the content.  She said it works really well with ELL students, and a great amount of at- risk students are ELL students (Mrs.  Hansen [4th interview], Mrs.  Nacarra [Service Learnng]). 
• In my independent component, I not only get to work with students, but also observe the class.  I got to observe Ms.  Underwood use TPR with her students in order to teach addition.  It really helped the struggling students catch up with the other students.  What she did was have the students from two lines, sitting down.  She sat on  a chair and held a small white board where she wrote the addition problems.  When she turned the white board, the two students in the front must stand up if they know the answer, and the first one to stand and get the answer right went to the back of the line.  I noticed that the students were struggling did not know how to add (or use their fingers) or they were just doing it at a slower pace.  However, with the teacher's encouragement, high energy of the game, and the multiple opportunities it offered to win a game, the struggling students started to catch on and got a chance to get at the level of the rest of the students.
• "TPR teaching method can facilitate long term lessons retention and make it fun for children to learn and develop their academic abilities."

Sources:

• Underwood, Sherry.  Personal Interview interview.  17, Jan. 2012. &  Hansen, Melissa.  Personal Interview interview.  17, April. 2012.
• Independent Component, Ms.  Underwood.
• Kiarie, David. "First Grade Teaching Methods - Total Physical Response (TPR)." Suite101.com. 4 Mar. 2011. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. <http://david-kiarie.suite101.com/first-grade-teaching-tricks-total-physical-response-tpr-method-a353305>.

3- Column Chart

Link to my 3- Column Chart:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0AufLznWoxxvGdFBuN1UyZUtqUEJ3UTQ2Sm9fanFnRXc

Room Creativity

1)  I plan on putting different types of posters on the walls, such as encouragement posters and/or posters demonstrating subtraction/addition.  I am going to try to borrow a few from my service learning and create some of my own.  Also, I will make some space at one the far corners of the classroom to make it like the "reading corner" and have children's books laid in that area.  The tables will be set up in groups and will have pencil boxes containing materials on each table. I will either have name tags on each desk already made or have them make it, if there is time. 

2)  The class will take up the role of first grade teachers and come up with a lesson plan that includes activities/assignments and that uses Differentiating Instruction as the teaching method for the lesson assigned.  They will all work in groups and present their lesson plan to the class once everyone is finished.  A visual should be included in their presentation, it can be a representation (such as in big font 1 +2= 3) of what's being taught or an illustration of their idea.

Answer 2

EQ:

What is the best teaching method to increase the academic gain of at- risk students in first grade?

Answer 2:

Small Group Instruction is the best way to increase the academic gain of at- risk students in first grade, when the groups are made up of mixed abilities.

*By mixed abilities, students who are above average, average, and/or below average in reading or on whatever is being taught.

Evidence:

• "These small groups consisted of mixed abilities in reading with one strong student, two or three average readers, and one struggling reader. This reading instruction experience utilized the four block approach and resulted in 57 percent of the first and second graders reading on or above grade level with 43 percent reading at primer or pre-primer level. There were no nonreaders at the end of the year and the children reading on or above grade level were higher than previous years." -  Vicki Lynn Eastman
• In my service learning, I sometimes am put with the struggling students of the class so I can work with them on their math or reading (usually math).  What I do with them is considered Small Group Instruction.  However, the group I work with is usually made up of the same struggling students, which means they are most likely not improving in the subject area.  Although, engaging them with materials such as flashcards and games really helps them comprehend the material.  However, I noticed when there was at least two students who were at least proficient in the content being taught, the other students engaged more and worked at a quicker pace. 
• In my third interview, Ms. Underwood (a kindergarten teacher who also taught first grade) explained that Small Group Instruction helps in targeting the student's needs and allows the teacher to apply certain techniques that can specifically help those few students with their difficulties, thus enabling them to advance to the next step.

Sources: 

• Eastman, Vicki Lynn. "Small Group Instruction: Reading Instruction Utilizing Learning Style Preferences and the Reading Achievement of First Grade Students." ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, (2010): .
• Service Learning/Independent Comp. 1 with Ms.  Horwitz (first grade), Mrs.  Naccara (first grade), and Ms.  Underwood (kindergarten)
• Underwood, Sherry.  Personal Interview interview.  17, Jan. 2012.

The Product

My product is "became a better first grade tutor/helper", and probably not just first grade, but also for kindergarten.  When I mean better, I mean that I have more knowledge on a first grader's behavior and how to react to their behavior.  For example, if I'm helpig a student with their sight words is discouraged because they cannot read the word, then I must encourage the student to sound out the word and not seem judgemental (Making the Grade, 2003) .  I learned this through my research, but also learned different techniques used to help students understand the concept(s) being taught (such as addition).  Thus, through my experience working with first grade students and observing the teachers, I've learned techniques they use with their students.  Everything I've learned and experienced can be applied to my tutoring with the kids.  For example, Mrs.  Naccara uses a certain technique to help her students with adding numbers that have a two digit sum.  If the problem is 9 + 9, then the students say "I have nine on my head (they put nine fingers on their head) and nine on my fingers (they put nine fingers down, lay them on the desk)."  Then, they start counting the fingers on their head, 1,2,3... and so on.  Then the students continue counting as they move down to their nine fingers on the desk,10, 11, 12... until they get to 18.  My experience working with the first grade students through my service learning (and even with kindergarten students for my independent component) and my research have lead me to this answer.

Evidence:



This is a time where I helped a group of first grade students (in this picture I'm helping one student) with their math in Mrs.  Naccara's class (service learning).